The Boat (2018 film)


The Boat is a 2018 Maltese genre drama film directed by Winston Azzopardi and written by Joe Azzopardi and Winston Azzopardi. Joe Azzopardi is the only cast member, and the film has very few spoken lines.

Production

The film was shot at the Malta Film Studios water tanks and around the coast of Malta. The film was shot over 22 days, 2 identical Beneteau First 45F5 sailboats were used. Filming began on the 8th October 2017 and wrapped on 3rd November.

Plot

The film stars Joe Azzopardi as a lone sailor who finds an abandoned sailboat.

Background and release

The Boat is Winston Azzopardi’s first feature film. Produced by Latina Pictures, The Boat is based on a short film Head, for which the Azzopardis picked up the Best Short Film award at the Rome Film Festival in 2016.
The film premiered at 2018 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. It was also shown at private viewings during the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, through which it secured a number of international distribution deals.

Reception

The Boat received a 78% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Hollywood Reporter called the film "unique". The Times of Malta gave it a positive review, describing it as a "a discomfiting and chilling ride," and praising the actor's ability to " the man’s myriad emotions with consummate ease," despite having "sparse dialogue to work with." Although there is no dialogue in the film, it has been described as having a "clever, twisting, dialogue-free screenplay".
For The Boat, Winston Azzopardi was nominated for Best Director at the 2019 National Film Awards UK.